Danger: Diabolik
Encyclopedia
Danger: Diabolik is a 1968 feature film from Italian filmmaker Mario Bava
based on the Italian comic character Diabolik
.
) living out of a ritzy hideout who steals incredible riches from the Italian government — including $10 million in cash, a highly prized set of emeralds, and an enormous gold ingot. Eva Kant
was played by Marisa Mell
, while Ginko was Michel Piccoli. A Dino De Laurentiis
production (producer of Barbarella
, which also featured Law), filmed at his studios in Rome. Also some scenes from the roof of the nearby Rome Hilton hotel with Valmont and his men. It had a notable musical score by Ennio Morricone
. The song in the early part of the film Deep, Deep, Down was sung by "Christie" which was later voted number three in the best sound tracks ever (though it had not been released in any form). So they could get a film sound track without any unwanted background sounds, the film was completely revoiced. There are two different voiced English sound tracks.
It was fairly faithful to the original, having Diabolik drive his black jaguar sports car and Eva drive her white one. The violence in the comics had to be toned down for the film and when it was finally shown in England in late 1969, it had 17 minutes cut from it. One of Diabolik's trademarks was his knife throwing but this was only done twice in the film, when he was after the necklace. The film was shot in 1967 and is copyrighted that year. A documentary included with the DVD release praises Mario Bava for creating one of the most faithful comic book adaptation of the 20th century.
The film came in at under $500,000, mainly thanks to the very skillful use of camera tricks by Mario Bava like under cranking (so making things look like they are moving faster), many matte paintings and cut-out pictures (to show buildings, the inside of the hide out and other things which did not exist) as well as front projection (which made it look like the stars were in speeding vehicles, etc.). A distant view of a G.I. Joe
doll was used for a crook falling from a plane. The Diabolik mask was made by Carlo Rambaldi
.
In the titles, the story was said to be by Angela & Luciana Giussani (the 2 creators), Dino Maiuri & Adriano Baracco. The people who did the writing are down as "Screenplay".
In their high-tech underground hideout (all matte paintings, etc.), they shower (with some tittilation which there was lots of in the film, though no nudity). The couple do some smooching on a revolving bed covered in stolen money. The Minister of the Interior holds a sombre press conference which is disrupted by wild laughter by all thanks to some exhilarating gas Diabolik has released there.
In desperation, the death penalty (hanging) is brought back in. The police cannot find Diabolik but big time crook, Valmont suffers at their hands because of a clampdown due to Diabolik's actions. A club is raided by the police. Valmont on his bimbo-laden yacht has had enough and berates his men who have failed him. Realising things can only get worse because of Diabolik stirring the police up, Valmont contacts Ginko and makes a bargain, to catch Diabolik alive for the police. On his plane, Valmont tells his men of his plan and all who disagree with him are killed.
Back at his hideout, Diabolik decides to steal the famous Aksand emerald necklace for Eva's birthday from the Saint Just Castle. Meanwhile Valmont builds up an identikit picture of Eva and circulates it as a means of capturing Diabolik. Diabolik changes his normal black skin tight costume for a white skin tight costume so he can climb the white tower wall unnoticed (using suction devices). The police are waiting, knowing he will go after the necklace. He gets it despite police surveillance of the room and they go after him, shooting at a figure catapulted off of the roof, believing it to be him escaping. It is a dummy. A police car chasing him goes off a cliff and explodes, trying to avoid an oncoming car in a mirror Diabolik has set up.
Later, Eva is spotted in a garage with her white car. It is dry weather but when a man looks at her in his rear view mirror, it is raining and has been for some time. Valmont is informed and Eva is traced to a clinic and captured. She is used to lure Diabolik aboard Valmont's plane, along with the ten million dollars he has stolen and the eleven emeralds from the necklace as payment for Eva.
Diabolik is made to jump where the police are waiting below for him, but takes Valmont with him. The plane behind them blows up (a bomb placed by Diabolik) and he rescues Eva as the police close in. He makes her escape, kills Valmont and trapped, takes a golden capsule, and the police find him dead. Later while the police are holding a conference on the death of Diabolik, he is about to be autopsied when he returns to life. It is thanks to a technique he has learned from Tibetan lamas but if he does not get the antidote within 12 hours, he becomes dead for real.
The nurse, Eva, wheels Diabolik past the crowds and then Diabolik goes to the morgue in disguise, where Valmont's body has been cremated and collects the 11 emeralds he fired into his body, from his ashes. He escapes just ahead of Ginko who has just realised what the 11 bullet wounds in Valmont meant. A million dollar reward is offered for Diabolik who goes to war against the government by blowing up all the tax offices and destroying all their records.
The country (assumed to be Italy) is in deep trouble without tax revenue so decides to sell off some gold to buy hard currency. The 20 tons of gold is melted into one solid block to make it "impossible" to steal, put into a steel casket and loaded on a train. Diabolik and Eva reroute the train by dropping a (burning) truck on the tracks so it has to take a bridge over a wide river. There is an explosion and the train and gold falls into the water where Diabolik and Eva inflate balloons underwater and tow it away to their hideout.
However, they did not know that part of the steel casket has been irradiated allowing the police to trace it and they close in on Diabolik who is wearing a heat proof suit as he is melting the gold, to put it into ingots. Shot at by many police guns, Diabolik is unable to control the heating of the gold and it runs out of control. There is an explosion and Diabolik and the cavern are covered in molten gold. Again, Diabolik is believed to be dead, with his heat proof suit now covered in hardened gold. The police seal off the place to recover it later and Eva is allowed to pay her respects to the dead Diabolik, who when Ginko is not looking winks at her. Eva leaves with Ginko and the cavern lights are turned off, then is the laughter of Diabolik is heard, with him apparently having a way to escape to strike again.
for the Beastie Boys
’ 1998 single "Body Movin'
". In August 1999, the movie was featured in the final episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000
(although another out-of-sequence episode, Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders
, was shown later). The movie also influenced Roman Coppola
’s film CQ
. The debut album from avant-garde metal band Fantômas
is heavily influenced by Diabolik. In addition to the liner notes being composed of frames from the Diabolik comic books, some songs also contain samples from the film. It is also interesting to note that on Mike Patton's (Lead singer/ founder of Fantomas) solo album, "Mondo Cane", features a cover of the title track from Diabolik, "Deep Down." Issue #50 of the comic book series Catwoman
features a scene where the character Holly Robinson
and her girlfriend become excited after finding a copy of the movie at a local video store. Diabolik is also referenced visually in the motion picture Speed Racer
. The film (or, more accurately, the MST3K episode parodying the film) is the basis for a song, entitled "Diabolik," by the pop-punk band The Riverdales.
Mario Bava
Mario Bava was an Italian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer remembered as one of the greatest names from the "golden age" of Italian horror films.-Biography:Mario Bava was born in San Remo, Liguria, Italy...
based on the Italian comic character Diabolik
Diabolik
Diabolik is a fictional character, an anti-hero featured in Italian comics. He was created by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani in 1962. His stories appear in monthly black and white digest-sized booklets. The character was inspired by several previous characters from Italian and French pulp...
.
About the film
It is the story of a skilled thief (played by John Phillip LawJohn Phillip Law
John Phillip Law was an American film actor with over one hundred movie roles to his credit. He was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Phyllis Sallee and the brother of actor Thomas Augustus Law .He was best known for his roles as the blind angel Pygar in the science fiction cult...
) living out of a ritzy hideout who steals incredible riches from the Italian government — including $10 million in cash, a highly prized set of emeralds, and an enormous gold ingot. Eva Kant
Eva Kant
Eva Kant is a fictional character in the Italian comics series starring the anti-hero Diabolik. She first appeared in Diabolik #3 .-Fictional character biography:Eva is the girlfriend and sidekick of criminal mastermind Diabolik...
was played by Marisa Mell
Marisa Mell
Marisa Mell was an Austrian actress who became a cult figure of 1960s Italian B-movies. She was born as Marlies Theres Moitzi in Graz, Austria.-Biography:...
, while Ginko was Michel Piccoli. A Dino De Laurentiis
Dino De Laurentiis
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis was an Italian film producer.-Early life:He was born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples, and grew up selling spaghetti produced by his father...
production (producer of Barbarella
Barbarella (film)
Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
, which also featured Law), filmed at his studios in Rome. Also some scenes from the roof of the nearby Rome Hilton hotel with Valmont and his men. It had a notable musical score by Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
. The song in the early part of the film Deep, Deep, Down was sung by "Christie" which was later voted number three in the best sound tracks ever (though it had not been released in any form). So they could get a film sound track without any unwanted background sounds, the film was completely revoiced. There are two different voiced English sound tracks.
It was fairly faithful to the original, having Diabolik drive his black jaguar sports car and Eva drive her white one. The violence in the comics had to be toned down for the film and when it was finally shown in England in late 1969, it had 17 minutes cut from it. One of Diabolik's trademarks was his knife throwing but this was only done twice in the film, when he was after the necklace. The film was shot in 1967 and is copyrighted that year. A documentary included with the DVD release praises Mario Bava for creating one of the most faithful comic book adaptation of the 20th century.
The film came in at under $500,000, mainly thanks to the very skillful use of camera tricks by Mario Bava like under cranking (so making things look like they are moving faster), many matte paintings and cut-out pictures (to show buildings, the inside of the hide out and other things which did not exist) as well as front projection (which made it look like the stars were in speeding vehicles, etc.). A distant view of a G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
doll was used for a crook falling from a plane. The Diabolik mask was made by Carlo Rambaldi
Carlo Rambaldi
Carlo Rambaldi is an Italian special effects artist who is most famous for designing the title character of the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the mechanical head-effects for the creature in Alien...
.
In the titles, the story was said to be by Angela & Luciana Giussani (the 2 creators), Dino Maiuri & Adriano Baracco. The people who did the writing are down as "Screenplay".
Plot
Diabolik starts off by stealing $10 million which was under escort. Under a smoke screen, Diabolik winches the money car away and escapes in a speed boat, then in his car, closely followed by a helicopter shooting at him (to the accompaniment of manic music). Diabolik changes cars in a tunnel and his black one goes off the edge of a cliff. He drives off with Eva when the helicopter leaves.In their high-tech underground hideout (all matte paintings, etc.), they shower (with some tittilation which there was lots of in the film, though no nudity). The couple do some smooching on a revolving bed covered in stolen money. The Minister of the Interior holds a sombre press conference which is disrupted by wild laughter by all thanks to some exhilarating gas Diabolik has released there.
In desperation, the death penalty (hanging) is brought back in. The police cannot find Diabolik but big time crook, Valmont suffers at their hands because of a clampdown due to Diabolik's actions. A club is raided by the police. Valmont on his bimbo-laden yacht has had enough and berates his men who have failed him. Realising things can only get worse because of Diabolik stirring the police up, Valmont contacts Ginko and makes a bargain, to catch Diabolik alive for the police. On his plane, Valmont tells his men of his plan and all who disagree with him are killed.
Back at his hideout, Diabolik decides to steal the famous Aksand emerald necklace for Eva's birthday from the Saint Just Castle. Meanwhile Valmont builds up an identikit picture of Eva and circulates it as a means of capturing Diabolik. Diabolik changes his normal black skin tight costume for a white skin tight costume so he can climb the white tower wall unnoticed (using suction devices). The police are waiting, knowing he will go after the necklace. He gets it despite police surveillance of the room and they go after him, shooting at a figure catapulted off of the roof, believing it to be him escaping. It is a dummy. A police car chasing him goes off a cliff and explodes, trying to avoid an oncoming car in a mirror Diabolik has set up.
Later, Eva is spotted in a garage with her white car. It is dry weather but when a man looks at her in his rear view mirror, it is raining and has been for some time. Valmont is informed and Eva is traced to a clinic and captured. She is used to lure Diabolik aboard Valmont's plane, along with the ten million dollars he has stolen and the eleven emeralds from the necklace as payment for Eva.
Diabolik is made to jump where the police are waiting below for him, but takes Valmont with him. The plane behind them blows up (a bomb placed by Diabolik) and he rescues Eva as the police close in. He makes her escape, kills Valmont and trapped, takes a golden capsule, and the police find him dead. Later while the police are holding a conference on the death of Diabolik, he is about to be autopsied when he returns to life. It is thanks to a technique he has learned from Tibetan lamas but if he does not get the antidote within 12 hours, he becomes dead for real.
The nurse, Eva, wheels Diabolik past the crowds and then Diabolik goes to the morgue in disguise, where Valmont's body has been cremated and collects the 11 emeralds he fired into his body, from his ashes. He escapes just ahead of Ginko who has just realised what the 11 bullet wounds in Valmont meant. A million dollar reward is offered for Diabolik who goes to war against the government by blowing up all the tax offices and destroying all their records.
The country (assumed to be Italy) is in deep trouble without tax revenue so decides to sell off some gold to buy hard currency. The 20 tons of gold is melted into one solid block to make it "impossible" to steal, put into a steel casket and loaded on a train. Diabolik and Eva reroute the train by dropping a (burning) truck on the tracks so it has to take a bridge over a wide river. There is an explosion and the train and gold falls into the water where Diabolik and Eva inflate balloons underwater and tow it away to their hideout.
However, they did not know that part of the steel casket has been irradiated allowing the police to trace it and they close in on Diabolik who is wearing a heat proof suit as he is melting the gold, to put it into ingots. Shot at by many police guns, Diabolik is unable to control the heating of the gold and it runs out of control. There is an explosion and Diabolik and the cavern are covered in molten gold. Again, Diabolik is believed to be dead, with his heat proof suit now covered in hardened gold. The police seal off the place to recover it later and Eva is allowed to pay her respects to the dead Diabolik, who when Ginko is not looking winks at her. Eva leaves with Ginko and the cavern lights are turned off, then is the laughter of Diabolik is heard, with him apparently having a way to escape to strike again.
Cast
- John Phillip LawJohn Phillip LawJohn Phillip Law was an American film actor with over one hundred movie roles to his credit. He was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Phyllis Sallee and the brother of actor Thomas Augustus Law .He was best known for his roles as the blind angel Pygar in the science fiction cult...
- Diabolik - Marisa MellMarisa MellMarisa Mell was an Austrian actress who became a cult figure of 1960s Italian B-movies. She was born as Marlies Theres Moitzi in Graz, Austria.-Biography:...
- Eva Kant - Michel Piccoli - Inspector Ginko
- Adolfo CeliAdolfo CeliAdolfo Celi was an Italian film actor and director.-Life and career:Born in Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 movies, specializing in international villains. His most famous role was as Emilio Largo in the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball...
- Ralph Valmont - Claudio GoraClaudio GoraClaudio Gora was an Italian actor and film director.He was a particularly prolific actor making some 155 appearances in film and television over nearly 60 years from 1939 to 1997...
- Police Chief - Mario Donen - Sergeant Danek
- Terry ThomasTerry ThomasTerry Thomas may refer to:* Terry-Thomas , English comic actor* Terry Thomas , American NBA player* Terence Thomas, Baron Thomas of Macclesfield , British peer...
- Minister of Interior, then Minister of Finance - Renzo PalmerRenzo PalmerRenzo Palmer was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 65 films between 1957 and 1988.He was born and died in Milan, Italy.-Selected filmography:* Shivers in Summer * Obiettivo ragazze...
- Minister's Assistant - Caterina BorattoCaterina BorattoCaterina Boratto was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 50 films between 1937 and 1993.-Selected filmography:* 8½ * Juliet of the Spirits * Me, Me, Me... and the Others...
- Lady Clark - Lucia Modugno - Prostitute
- Annie Gorassini - Rose
- Carlo CroccoloCarlo CroccoloCarlo Croccolo is an Italian film actor. He has appeared in over 100 films since 1949. He was born in Naples, Italy.-Selected filmography:* Bellezze in bicicletta * Totò sceicco * Vendetta.....
- Lorry Driver - Lidia Biondi - Policewoman (as Lidia Biondi C.S.C.)
- Andrea BosicAndrea BosicAndrea Bosic is an Italian film actor of Slovene origin. He appeared in 52 films between 1951 and 1985, mainly in so-called Spaghetti western...
- Bank Manager - Federico BoidoFederico BoidoFederico Boido , is an Italian film actor who has appeared in many horror films, spaghetti westerns, and sword and sandal movies. He also acted in the Sadistik photo novels and related his experiences in the film The Diabolikal Super-Kriminal.He made his film debut at the age of 26...
- Valmont's Henchman - Tiberio MitriTiberio MitriTiberio Mitri was an Italian boxer who fought from 1946 to 1957. During his career, Mitri was the Italian and European middleweight champion....
- Valmont's Henchman - Francesco Mulet - Man in morgue
In popular culture
Scenes were parodied in the music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
’ 1998 single "Body Movin'
Body Movin'
"Body Movin" is a song by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys, released as the second single from their fifth studio album Hello Nasty.-Track listing:CD single #"Body Movin'" – 3:09...
". In August 1999, the movie was featured in the final episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
(although another out-of-sequence episode, Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders
Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders
Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders is a 1996 fantasy/horror film directed by Kenneth J. Berton. The film stars Ernest Borgnine, who plays a grandfather telling his grandson a story about the wizard Merlin opening up a store in modern-day America...
, was shown later). The movie also influenced Roman Coppola
Roman Coppola
Roman Coppola is an American film director and music video director.-Early life:Coppola was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, the son of set decorator/artist Eleanor Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola was born in the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine while his father was in Paris...
’s film CQ
CQ (film)
CQ is a 2001 film written and directed by Roman Coppola. It was screened out of competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.It is a homage to 1960s European spy/sci-fi spoofs like Barbarella and Danger: Diabolik and the documentary spoof David Holzman's Diary. The cinematography is done by Robert...
. The debut album from avant-garde metal band Fantômas
Fantômas (band)
Fantômas is an avant-garde metal supergroup formed in 1998 in California, United States. The band is named after Fantômas, a supervillain featured in a series of crime novels popular in France before World War I and in film, most notably in the 60s French movie series.-History:Fantômas began just...
is heavily influenced by Diabolik. In addition to the liner notes being composed of frames from the Diabolik comic books, some songs also contain samples from the film. It is also interesting to note that on Mike Patton's (Lead singer/ founder of Fantomas) solo album, "Mondo Cane", features a cover of the title track from Diabolik, "Deep Down." Issue #50 of the comic book series Catwoman
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
features a scene where the character Holly Robinson
Holly Robinson (comics)
Holly Robinson is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. She was introduced in Batman #404 during Frank Miller's Batman: Year One story arc.Holly is a frequent ally and sidekick of Catwoman...
and her girlfriend become excited after finding a copy of the movie at a local video store. Diabolik is also referenced visually in the motion picture Speed Racer
Speed Racer (film)
Speed Racer is a 2008 American live action film adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida's 1960s Japanese anime series of the same name, produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The film is written and directed by the Wachowskis...
. The film (or, more accurately, the MST3K episode parodying the film) is the basis for a song, entitled "Diabolik," by the pop-punk band The Riverdales.